Chesapeake Bay Shore Erosion

The Western Shore of Maryland's Chesapeake Bay lost about 20 acres of fastland to erosion during
Isabel -- a total of 158,800 metric tonnes of sediment. The influx of suspended sediment
(silt and clay) from Western Shore
erosion amounted to about 81,000 metric tonnes. Compared to the 31 million
metric tonnes delivered by the
Susquehanna River during Hurricane Agnes, Isabel's contribution, though substantial,
was not overwhelming.

Generally, when coastal researchers and planners consider the future, they recognize
two main scenarios: continued
erosion of the shoreline in the face of sea level rise and permanent inundation
of low-lying shoreline. Given the
effects of Isabel, the first of these scenarios must include episodes of
erosion due to short-lived storm surge flooding
and, particularly, ebbing.

Severe as it was, erosion might have been worse. Given storm surge elevation,
virtually the entire Western Shore
was vulnerable. However, only1.5% of the total shoreline length experienced
erosion.

Destructive as it was, Isabel might have been worse. Had the hurricane been
stronger at landfall, the storm surge
generated in the Chesapeake Bay might have been higher. Had Isabel stalled
along its path and lingered through
several tidal cycles, prolonged surge conditions, exacerbated by high winds,
might have caused more severe
erosion. Had rainfall been higher, bank erosion due to slope failure might
have been more common, particularly given
the wetter than normal months that preceded the hurricane.

J.R. Schubel, 1976, in The Effects of Tropical Storm Agnes on
the Chesapeake Bay Estuarine System
The
Chesapeake Research Consortium, Inc. (ed.), The Johns Hopkins University
Press, Baltimore, MD, pp. 179-187